H-1B visa: US to open registration period for FY 27 on March 4, confirms $100,000 fee

THE US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced on Saturday that the initial H-1B cap registration period for the fiscal year 2027 will open at noon (ET) on March 4 and close at noon (ET) on March 19, 2026. The latest USCIS notification also confirms the implementation of a $100,000 petition fee and a new weighted selection system.

Here's all you need to know:

> Initial H-1B cap registration period: March 4 to March 19, 2026

> Total H-1B visa/H-1B visa cap: 85,000

> Registration fee: $215 fee

> Selection: March 31, 2026

> Fee if you get selected: $100,000

> Weighted selection if USCIS gets more than 85,000 applications

The H-1B beneficiary selection process

1. The initial H-1B cap registration period will open at noon (ET) on March 4, 2026, and run through noon (ET) on March 19, 2026, the USCIS said in an update on January 30.

2. One must have a USCIS online account to register each beneficiary electronically for the selection process. The USCIS says that both representatives and employees must wait until March 4 to enter beneficiary information and submit registrations.

3. An associated $215 H-1B registration fee has to be paid for each registration.

4. Selections take place after the initial registration period closes (on March 19).

5. The USCIS said it intends to send selection notifications by March 31, 2026.

6. A petitioner may only file an H-1B cap-subject petition if their registration was selected in the H-1B registration process. This includes a petition for a beneficiary who is eligible for the advanced degree exemption.

What's new for the FY 2027 cap season?

1. The USCIS's January 30 statement mentions the new H-1B selection process, which prioritises allocating visas to "higher-skilled and higher-paid aliens."

The USCIS's statement read, "For the FY 2027 H-1B cap season, if we receive registrations for unique beneficiaries during the initial registration period that exceed the cap, we will conduct a weighted selection from the unique beneficiaries with properly submitted registrations."

2. What if registrations of less than 85,000 are received? In that case, the USCIS said, “If we do not receive registrations for enough unique beneficiaries, we will select all registrations for unique beneficiaries that were properly submitted in the initial registration period.”

3. The USCIS also mentioned the whopping H-1B visa petition fee if their registration is selected. "If a petitioner has their registration selected and is eligible to file an H-1B cap-subject petition, they may need to pay an additional $100,000 fee before filing the H-1B petition as a condition of eligibility."

4. The USCIS may require H-1B beneficiaries to provide biometrics (fingerprints, photograph, signature) to verify identity, often via a Request for Evidence (RFE) for address updates or security screening.